Health Minister Vassilis Kikilias presented on Wednesday Greece’s national plan for the vaccination of the population with the vaccine against Covid-19. The vaccines will be those supplied via the European Union that will distribute them to member states at the same time.
Vaccines supply via the EU that has signed contracts with four companies
Vaccination will take place in 1,018 vaccination centers across Greece, that will be able to vaccinate 2,117,440 people per month. Target is that 7 million people in the country will be vaccinated.
The vaccination will take place following an appointment via sms, online or telephone.
Blue: Covid-19 testing Red: Vaccine Centers
The vaccination procedures needs 10 minutes more or less, the minister said.
“The vaccination is a public good and therefore without charge such as the flu vaccine,” Kikilias said in a joint press conference with members of the National Vaccination Committee.
“The vaccination will not be compulsory,” the minister said adding “our goal is to convince as many people as possible to participate in the action.
he added that people will get the vaccine that “will arrive first in the country.”
Priority groups for the vaccine are health workers, followed by vulnerable groups (those over 65, those with underlying health issues) and later by the general population. He said, among others, that the AMKA (social security number) will be used
1 Stage: Control of the beneficiaries via AMKA 2 Stage: Registration of beneficiaries’ data.
Categorization via AMKA can only identify those over 65. However, none of those participating at the presser responded to a journalist question: According to which criteria the “vulnerable groups” – see “people with underlying issues” – will be categorized, who and how will define them?
In nursing homes, residents and workers will be vaccinated by mobile health teams, in prisons by health teams of nearby health centers.
Refugees and migrants will be vaccinated in the accommodation and identification centers.
They did not say anything about the thousands of foreign nationals permanently living in Greece.
PS The presentation had some 15 nicely designed charts – but no contact numbers for the appointments or other info was given. It is kind of premature anyway to wait for full details now, when the vaccine is expected “early 2021” as the health experts at the presser said.
not to mention that no vaccine has receive any approval by US or EU authorities so far. But be positive, it’s a matter of time.
Above is one of the charts presented by the Health Ministry at the presser: From Production Factory the vaccines to Central Warehouses from there to the Vaccination Centers and from there to You. All transport is done by trucks. If it was only not a copypaste from a company that transports vaccines….
More information on coronavirus in Greece here.
The article states that categorisation will be mainly by AMKA number. It also states “They did not say anything about the thousands of foreign nationals permanently living in Greece.” Many foreign nationals, like me, are over 65, have an AMKA number and have insurance in Greece, paid for by their country of origin, through REGULATION (EC) No 883/2004 “on the coordination of social security systems”. Surely those citizens will be called under the system? If not then Greece is breaking a fundamental EU rule of treating all citizens equally?
They did not say anything about the thousands of foreign nationals permanently living in Greece. CAN SOMEBODY PLEASE ASK GREECE GOVERNMENT ABOUT THIS. THANKs MARK
I am an 86 year old permeant resident in Crete, near Heraklion for the last 21 years. I am properly registered with a valid residents permit. I am registered with IKA with an AMKA Number, on the reciprocal health care agreement with UK and receive free health care. I also pay tax as part of the same agreement.
I would have applied for Greek Citizenship long ago, but cannot meet the Greek language requirement. I can only speak a very small vocabulary.
I have no intention of ever returning to England.
Can you please find out if I am entitled, and if so where the nearest vaccination center is?
Yours faithfully
we are going to post tomorrow more on the vaccine/registration issue with links. You will see if you’re entitled at ’emvolio.gov.gr’ where yu have to submit your AMKA. Normally, pharmacists are supposed to help elderly people with these issues, the gov’t said. So ask locak pharmacist or your doctor?